A day in the life of an awkward girl/dreamer

Tag Archives: home decor

Every morning I feel like I’m going on a treasure hunt for my keys. I never put them in the same place twice. They could be in my purse, clipped to the handle of my purse, on the bannister, on the counter under a bunch of junk, on my nightstand, the list goes on.

This is one of my morning routines that I’d like to see, well, less routine. I happened to pin this cute DIY jewelry dish on my pinterest board awhile back, and I suddenly realized that a little bowl on the bannister would be the perfect place to stash my keys.

So I picked up some crafting clay and away I went! This was my first time working with clay, and I have to say it was easier than I thought it would be but still somewhat challenging. Mostly because I’m a psycho OCD perfectionist and my bowl didn’t come out perfectly symmetric and I painted “keys” a little off center.

But as James reminded me, it’s the little imperfections in homemade items that make them what they are. I’ll probably have to tell myself that a million times before I get over it, but I’ll get there.

Supplies

8 oz of white crafting clay

X-acto knife

Copper paint

Paint brushes

Rolling pin

Parchment or wax paper

Small & medium size glass bowls

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.

2. Take the clay and knead it in your hands until it softens up, enough that you can shape it.

3. On a sheet of parchment or wax paper, roll out the clay to about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Note: The clay should be non-toxic, but the tutorial I used recommended using a rolling pin that was only used for crafts, not food. I took the advice and used an old fondant roller I no longer needed.

4. Take your small bowl and turn it upside onto the clay, pressing down slightly. Then, use the X-acto knife to cut around the edge of the bowl.

5. Remove the round piece of clay and gently lay it inside the medium size bowl. Try to place it inside the bowl so the edges are all even; make sure one side isn’t hanging down lower than the other.

6. Place the bowl in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. While it’s baking, the clay should sink down a bit until it begins to take the shape of the bowl and the edges curve up a bit.

7. After it’s finished baking, remove the bowl from the oven. Do not remove the clay until it is 100 percent cooled.

8. Once it’s cooled, gently remove the clay from the glass bowl. You should have a nice clay bowl to work with. Now grab your paint and a paint brush, flip the bowl over and paint the outside. Let dry for about an hour.

9. Flip your bowl right side up and paint the trim in the same color.

10. Take a smaller paintbrush and carefully write ‘keys’ on the inside of the bowl. Try taking a few practice strokes on a piece of cardboard or paper first if you’re nervous. Let it dry for an hour or overnight and your bowl should be ready to hold your keys in the morning.